Penguins and Flowers
by Dandeleon
Summary: [Sanji x Nami] Everyone knows Sanji's shadow is a penguin. Did you know that penguins choose only one mate for the rest of their lives?
1. Changes

A/N: This is a new idea tickling my brain. Good pirates, we need more SaNa! Am rewatching everything, and I'm at the Skypeia Arc already. Did you know that Sanji actually said "Nami-san, I LOVE YOU!" while they're being blown up to the sky by the knock-up cloud? If I remember right, he has yet to say that to anybody else.

Hee. Sanji, you're showing your true feelings already.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

It was just another normal day at sea. Or at least as normal as it can get while travelling with the most volatile group of ticking bombs you can call people.

Luffy was screaming for more food again.

Nami looked up at the clear cloudless sky. It was a beautiful shade of blue today. Then again, blue is a beautiful shade any day. The wind was going strong today, too. She took a deep breath of the sea air and fixed the tangles on her hair. She ignored the vain thoughts that came with it. This was the sea, after all.

Sanji suddenly appeared beside her, offering some new tropical concoction which was probably specially formulated to improve her skin and tasted good to boot. She kindly accepted it and ignored his attempt to compliment her looks. Why he always targeted her first was beyond her. _Still, it is pretty nice to be spoiled a bit. Even if it is transparent._

Luffy shouted for food one more time. Sanji threw a hammer at him (where did that come from?) and shouted at him to keep quiet. Sanji blew a kiss her way. She carefully avoided it. Sanji left to bother _Robin-chwaaaan_.

Then the boat suddenly went dark. Nami looked up. I thought there weren't any clouds today?

There was a sea monster falling on the Thousand Sunny.

Nami couldn't move. She didn't shout. She just stared up. She heard somebody else wonder what she was looking up at (Usopp? Luffy?) and heard the scream.

It was coming from her.

* * *

Sanji didn't know what was going on. One minute he was dejectedly giving Nami-san her space then the next they were all trying to avoid being hit by a weirdly-shaped dinosaur. He heard Nami's scream. He rushed to her direction, only to hit Usopp who was holding a big paddle.

"Sanji! Kono yaro!"

Usopp went flying. So did Zoro for some reason. Then the sea monster hit the spot of sea beside the boat. Thank goodness.

Only it didn't stop there.

The monster, which was twenty times the size of the Sunny-go (where do they grow these things?) caused a huge tsunami that capsized their little boat. Sanji jumped into the water before the boat could crush him beneath its huge deck.

"Nami-san! Robin-chan! Idiots! Are you okay?"

He saw bubbles to his left. He dived down and saw Luffy. God, the things that happen when he's around.

He looked around again and peered into the water. There was a speck- Brook! Sanji swam towards him and took Luffy again.

Sanji pulled them up to the water's surface and searched for any bits of wood floating around. There were none. The Thousand Sunny was fine, it only capsized. Except Sanji can only do so much with two hammers on his arms. A head came up the water and he was relieved (not!) to see a green head gasping for air.

"Marimo! Do something about the shitty boat!" He was deperate now. Did he hear-

Zoro swam to the Thousand Sunny and easily lifted it back to its original position. Then Zoro swam down again. Sanji pulled Luffy and Brook to the boat, and was relieved to see they both felt better already. He didn't even need to use CPR, which was an icky idea in itself.

Usopp was next to arrive, carrying Chopper.

Then Zoro, carrying Franky and Robin.

"It's a really big disadvantage if more than half of the crew consists of devil fruit users when you are at sea."

Sanji paled. _Where's Nami-san?_ Wasn't she usually a good swimmer on her own? Why wasn't she here yet?

"Did anyone see Nami?" Robin-chan was the first to notice, as usual. Perceptive girl. Sanji tried to remember where Nami was standing when the big wave hit their boat. If he remembered right, she was-

Directly at the spot where the wave hit the Sunny.

He didn't bother thinking about anything, he only jumped towards the general direction he saw her last. He swam down as low as he could until he could see her sinking figure. She wasn't moving. That's not good.

He immediately used all the strength he had left on his legs. Please, please.

He came up gasping for air. The minute he brought her on board, she started coughing and spewing out seawater. It was the least graceful he had yet to see of her, but he couldn't care less.

Everybody else was relieved.

Nobody noticed the little bug stuck on the back of her neck, inserting its sting on the soft spot of her skull.

* * *

Nami glanced at her wrist. They've gone off-course. She could barely care, however. She had a small feeling that they were going the right way. And women's instincts should be followed... right?

"Nami? You okay? Need more rest? Want some meat?" She could hear Luffy calling her, but it seemed so far away. She decided not to mind. It was such a peaceful day after all. Besides, if she worried about every single little thing that happened to her on the Grand Line, she'd end up back in East Blue, never leaving the house because everything she has encountered so far has been horrific, terrifying, monstrous, and all else that one can think of. Maybe this time they'd find a land full of beli. Or jewels. Jewels are good.

Nami sighed happily as she dreamed about the many beli that she can make the minute they arrive in town.

Luffy paid her no more attention. At least she's back to normal. No more captain-y stuff to do, then. Back to his spot. Oh, and maybe some meat would be nice, too. "Sanji! MEAT!"

* * *

The minute they arrive at the new island, everyone went off to do their own thing. Nami sighed and wondered if she was going to have to pay for one of Luffy's restaurant fees again. Eh, she'll just pretend she didn't know who he was this time. Now, onto shopping.

She turned a corner and saw a big shopping center at the end of the pathway. She grinned. "Sanji-kun, I'm going shopping. But it's too heavy for me. Please help?"

She didn't even bother to look back. She immediately walked faster and was in front of the shop in no time.

She entered the big shopping center-

And then everything went black.

* * *

Sanji heard her request right away. "A chance to bond with Nami-san? Mellorine! Wait up, Nami-san!"

Everyone else was too busy with their own thing. They didn't care, the two acted like they usually did anyway.

Sanji wondered why Nami-san was faster than him today. She was just walking, but with a speed so fast that her legs were practically gliding on the ground. And she was going toward the direction of this dilapidated old shop that probably needed more repairs than the Thousand Sunny. He raised an eyebrow. Now that's a surprise. She doesn't usually go to these places that often. Well, she probably has a good reason. It's Nami-san after all.

Happily, he skipped towards the direction of the shop, singing joyful _Mellorine!_s the whole time.

* * *

When he entered, he wasn't expecting Nami-san to disappear so soon. But for some reason she wasn't in sight. Sanji walked further into the shop. He heard a scream at the door in front of him and stopped. Was that Nami-san? "Nami-san! Where are you?!"

He barged into the room. What he saw chilled his body.

She was floating in thin air. And there was smoke covering her entire body. It branched off at her head. The smoke seemed to be coming from a crystal ball in the corner, beside which a thin bespectacled man was touching the surface with his hand.

"What is going on? Nami-san!" He jumped and tried to take her from the smoke, but it was as if her whole body turned to gas. His arms just went through her.

"Asshole! What did you do to Nami-san?" He glared at the idiot who was stupid enough to target the one person his crew would never let anyone touch. The guy just laughed. Sanji's eyes flashed. "Release her now!"

"Why should I? She is the strongest female I have ever consumed. She will keep my power fed for a few years, with the amount of will left in her. I only have half an hour left until the process is complete, and she will be mine."

Sanji clenched his fists. That's it. No more talking. He sped up towards the man. Something leaped towards him. He gave the other person a casual glance, wondering how much time he would have to use on this new bodyguard.

It was a female.

Several, actually. There was a whole army of females on the room, which was apparently bigger than he expected it to be. Every single one had a weapon on her. Every single one looked rabid and crazy and _cute_. They were all looking at him. He stopped moving. How was he going to fight without harming any single one of them?

"What's going on?" He had to ask again. Four of the prettiest in the group grabbed him. He looked at Nami. Was she going to join this group too? Is this some kind of brainwashing process?

"Well, since you're going to die anyway, I'll tell you. I'm a Devil Fruit User. I ate the Yume Yume no Mi."

Sanji blinked. Is this a joke? "What connection does a Dream Fruit have with ladies? Why Nami-san?"

"Well, it doesn't really have to be females. Anybody can do. But those with the strongest and most creative minds are and will always be women."

The guy laughed. Sanji couldn't understand what was so funny about the situation.

"You see- dreams are connected to your subconscious. With my power, I can create something visible, similar to a small bug like this one." The man showed Sanji the small bug with a long something piercing Nami's brain.

"With this, I can control her subconscious. It's pretty complicated, actually. Let's say that there's a child in her head. If I showed that child that she cannot trust anybody but me, what do you think will happen?"

"You shitty scum! Let her go!"

"Of course, the only way I can do this is by giving her dreams. That's why it takes such a long time. I need to have a medium and I have to plug an antenna on her. But it all pays off in the end. Every female who is added to my army strengthens the connection I have to my victims. I already have 40 girls under me. Believe me when I say they're grateful for it."

Sanji couldn't take it anymore. He had to do something. _Does this mean they're not really brainwashed, they're still females?_ He had to try. "Look, roaches! And ghosts!"

The girls holding him started screaming and jumping around. He grinned. Sanji jumped to where the guy was standing. The man fell down, surprised at the speed of which his army was beaten. _So the asshole only needs this, right?_ He picked up the crystal ball and raised it in the air.

"No, don't!" Too late.

Sanji smashed the crystal ball to the ground. Nami fell down. He jumped to catch her.

He very nearly missed.

"Nami-san! Nami-san!" Is she okay? He needs Chopper. Why was he the only one here when she needs help?

He picked her up and jumped towards the man. Sanji kicked the wall behind him. It crumbled, along with half of the building.

At that, the rest of the females ran away.

"N-no please! Don't kill me! What do you want? I can pay you anything! How much do you need?" He was sputtering and dribbling sweat all over himself. Sanji wondered if the man hadn't already wet himself trying to say something to save his own pathetic life.

"I don't want your shitty money. Tell me what is wrong with her. Now."

"O-of course! I'm so s-sorry! I w-will never bother you again. She's just fainted. She'll be herself in a few days."

Sanji sighed. So he made it? But he thought he was past the thirty-minute mark already. "Is there anything I have to worry about?"

"Sh-she might be _a bit _scared of everyone. J-just a bit though! She will be fine in a week or two." And with that, the man fainted. Sanji bit his cigarette. Fine. Chopper can examine her better than this weak lump. How was he going to explain this, though?

* * *

Explaining is turning out to be harder than he thought it would be.

When Sanji arrived on the ship, carrying Nami on his back, he was bombarded with several disgusted shouts from Usopp and Zoro.

"What did you do?! Were you finally unable to control yourself after so many years?"

Chopper was called out and everybody had a meeting over the Sunny's clinic.

"What did you _do, _Sanji?" Luffy was hard pressed not to believe everything the others said. This was _Sanji_, after all.

"I didn't! She got kidnapped by this Yume Yume shitface. He was going to turn her into his puppet or something. He had around 50 girls under his control."

"Sounds like something Sanji would dream up." He glanced at Usopp and the loudmouth was quiet immediately.

"Mnngh?"

At the sound, everyone went to Nami's side, asking various questions ranging from "So what did Sanji do?"(Usopp) to "Nami, are you feeling bad anywhere?" (Chopper).

Robin was quick to calm them down, saying, "She needs her space, everyone, please let her calm down first."

Nami, on the other hand, looked scared. "I was at the shopping center, and I was held down by these two girls. And then Hiro- he tricked me- there was this gas- and the crystal ball- and Sanji-kun was fighting- Sanji-kun! Where's Sanji-kun?"

"I'm right here, Nami-san." She looked behind her. He looked normal. Cigarette and jacket and everything. She immediately felt relieved, though she didn't really want to. She probably had an idea why. She couldn't control her body.

She suddenly hugged him.

Everyone (even Sanji) bulged their eyes and let out a big "EEHH?!"

* * *

A/N: Might need a beta. Any offers? :)


	2. Impossibilities

A/N: I was planning to stop at that chapter, but I couldn't help myself. Everyone go with the Sanji-love!

* * *

Nami kept hugging Sanji. She was still in bed. Everyone was silent for that one moment.

Then an implosion of voices were heard from outside the ship

"S-Sanji! You DID do something!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO, SANJI?"

"M-m-melloriiiiiine..."

"Nami! Don't strain yourself too much! You might still be hurt somewhere. I think you might have a concussion! Lie back down and you'll feel like yourself in a while."Chopper tried to set Nami back to lie down, but she suddenly screamed and kicked him. He was sent flying to the wall.

"I-I'm sorry Chopper." Chopper stood up. Nami looked at the child who has been her companion for so many years. She couldn't believe what she just did. She wanted to cry. She wanted to be comforted by Sanji-kun- _No_, she didn't. She's still suffering from what happened. That's why she wants to be away from everybody else. That's why she thinks only Sanji-kun can help her. "I'm sorry, but it might not be a good idea to touch me right now."

"But why?" Chopper looked hurt. Nami wanted to comfort him somehow, but the words got stuck in her throat.

"Don't worry, Chopper. I'm sure there must be a good reason. Nami, what happened exactly?" Ah, Robin. Always the voice of reason. Her Nee-sama, always ready to help whenever she feels stressed. But why won't the words come out? She has to say something, right? These people will never hurt her. They will never betray her. They are nakama!

But she couldn't even look her in the eye.

"I-I'm not sure. I was- I was shopping, then- they caught me? Then Hiro- he said- I was going to follow him forever. T-then Sanji-kun was- he was fighting. And he smashed... the crystal ball."

"What crystal ball? Sanji?" Luffy didn't like it when stuff get complicated with his crew. He didn't like it when his lunch got interrupted by an emergency. He didn't like it when Nami acts weird and couldn't even look straight at him when talking. She's not their Nami. What's going on?

"I'm not sure myself. The guy said something about telling her brain who to trust, I think."

"But that's impossible!" Usopp couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"No, it's not." Everybody turned to stare at who spoke. It was Chopper. He looked mad-no, he was furious.

"People can send messages to the brain. You can control what somebody does. You can tell them to kill someone by just saying a specific word, or having them make you tea by snapping your fingers. It's like hypnosis. But that messes with their brains. He told Nami that she couldn't trust anybody but him! That means that even though she knows everything we went through together, her brain will tell her we're not on her side." Chopper's face looked very grave now. "If he did it badly, she could be brain dead right now!"

They all looked at their captain. He wasn't happy. "How do you reverse it?"

"We can't fix her that easily, Luffy. Imagine she's sick, only the sickness is in her head. It will take several days for her brain to recover. It could even take several years, if we're not careful!" Chopper was sad. "One wrong step around Nami, just touching her wrong could mean she will never trust anybody ever again."

"H-hey, Nami-san? Are you alright? You have to lie down." Sanji was positioning Nami on the bed. She couldn't say anything, and they're all talking about stuff concerning her. She wanted to hate herself. This is wrong. She _had_ to say something, something that could help them.

"Sanji-kun destroyed Hiro's crystal ball. I don't trust Hiro anymore." Then Nami passed out.

* * *

Later, Nami woke up to Sanji's face. She couldn't stop the small burst of happiness and security she felt at that moment.

"Sanji-kun?"

"Nami-san! Are you alright? If you're hungry, I have some baked snacks full of my love!" Nami smiled at him. Sanji hoped she would hug him like earlier. Maybe even kiss him? He suppressed a giggle. Maybe even...

"No, thank you. I'm just a little thirsty, Sanji-kun." That's weird. Eh, he shouldn't hope that much everyday, anyway. But what else would be his purpose in life?

"Of course, Nami-san! Just let me prepare you a refreshment right away-"

"No, just water is fine." Why is Nami-san being so cold? She hugged him earlier, right? It's like she's back to the usual Nami. He sighed dejectedly, and went out a bit for some water.

Nami saw him leave. She suddenly didn't want that water so much anymore.

"Wait, Sanji-kun!"

Sanji turned around. She looked scared. Really scared. He walked slowly back to her and saw her regain her composure almost immediately.

"Sanji-kun, why don't we finish shopping instead? I wasn't able to buy anything today." She gave him the smile that won her millions of free drinks. He gave in at once.

"Hai, Nami-san!"

* * *

Sanji wanted to ask. He really did. But he should be enjoying the moment right now. But she-

"Nami-san, aren't you bothered by how close we are?" He looked down at the lady gripping his arm as if trying to choke it of all the blood (if there was any left). She stayed at the same position for a minute, then removed her arms. He felt the change in temperature immediately. Damn, why did he have to open his big fat mouth-

"Are you?" She smiled at him cheekily, but he could sense the uncertainty and fear in her tone. _She's scared. Of what? Oh._

Sanji hope this would work. "Of course not, Nami-san! But it would definitely be more comfortable if we did-" He put his hand on her back, making sure _not_ to touch anywhere near her back. "this."

He waited for the pain to arrive in his hand. It never came. No pinch, no slap, nothing! Not even an angry retort. What the hell-

Nami looked so unsure. He wanted to hug her at that very moment.

* * *

Nami was having an internal war at the moment. For one thing, yes, she DID mind, but for another, the town was so full of people. People who could catch her and tie her up and leave her to die. People who could fight her while she's unguarded. Only Sanji-kun can help her-NO. She isn't going to be like that. She HAS to fight this. She will be no use to the crew this way. What if she couldn't even navigate properly?

But on the other hand, this feeling of security and safety was something she hasn't felt in a very long time. Maybe she could even start to like it?

"Maybe I should stay away from people." She didn't know such things could ever come out of her mouth. _But why, again? Oh, yeah. But-_

Sanji took out a cigarette and lighted it. "That might be bad for you, Nami-san."

What? Why is he saying this now? Shouldn't he be happy about it or something? Shouldn't he want to fulfill all her dreams? Shouldn't he want to protect her and keep her safe from all the evil in the world forever? No, that's her brain talking. No.

"It's okay, I'll grow old with you and we'll stay safe forever." Now why did she say that?

* * *

Sanji wanted to answer with the usual "Hai!" and they would live happily ever after. They would stay together like they always did and maybe something might develop into love someday and-

But there's Luffy. There's All Blue. There's the map of the world. She's not saying this because she wants to.

He wondered if he was being taken for granted all along. Well, not that he didn't expect that to happen. Though a little hesitation would have been nice.

"You know, I might want to do evil stuff to you too, Nami-san."

"I know you'll never do that. You're a good person, Sanji-kun." That's probably true, but why does she have to be so damn irresistible? No, he had to stay strong. He really wants to do this and that to her, though he'll never take advantage of her that way. Even though the temptation is so great already, since she is in his arms right _now_.

"Nami-san. Did I ever tell you that I dream about our child sometimes?" This was definitely true. He would never lie to her. Maybe to somebody else, but never to her.

"Oh, Sanji-kun, look! Kitchen pans on sale!" He looked at where she was pointing. Giant Pans! On sale! He turned back to Nami. He wanted those pans.

But she'd already collapsed.

Oh, shit. He took one last lingering look at the pans, then picked her up and rushed her back to the ship.

* * *

Nami woke up and heard her stomach growl.

"Hungry, Nami-swan?" There beside the bed was her faithful guardian, holding a tray of something that smelled really good.

"I'm sorry about what happened, Sanji-kun. Did Chopper get angry?"

"Well, a bit." Best not tell her he got chewed out big time. Nami took a spoonful of soup, then sighed.

"I'm sorry about what I said. I should reflect on my actions earlier, Sanji-kun. My brain just isn't cooperating with me today."

"Of course it's not, Nami-san. But no need to apologize. I believe that you are stronger than that." He honestly did. But he shouldn't go specific right now. He should just let her talk it out, like Chopper said earlier.

"Do you ever doubt finding All Blue?" _What?_

"I used to. In the Baratie. I stopped trying to dream about it. But now, with Luffy here? Not anymore." That was a long time ago. Several years ago, when they had started travelling. Didn't he already tell them this before? Oh, wait. She wasn't with them when he was recruited, she stole the Going Merry and left them to deal with Arlong.

"I'm feeling that way right now. As if there's this huge block stopping me from mapping everything in the world." No. Nami was stronger than that. She really was. He should know, she was everything he could ever see since this whole trip started. She had to fix herself, soon.

"Don't worry, Nami-san. Everyone's here to help you. And All Blue will be on your map too, eventually." It should be. I'll do everything I can to make sure that happens.

"Thanks, Sanji-kun"

"Don't think about it. Now go to sleep, Nami-san. You've had a tiring day."

* * *

Sanji closed the door carefully. He stared out at the deserted corridor. Why was he acting like this? He should be happier with the amount of chances he gets to be alone with Nami-san. He should be overjoyed at every single lovey-dovey thing she does. But he's just disappointed in himself. Why couldn't he have saved her earlier than that? Why did he have to smash that stupid crystal ball? Why couldn't he have been stronger, faster, maybe a little smarter so he could fix her right now? He took a long drag out of his cigarette.

_Not even this helps. It wouldn't even do anything for her._

"I need a drink."

* * *

A/N: And so ends chapter two! Reviews are appreciated, and will guarantee faster updates. Biased flamers will be ignored. Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Meetings

A/N: I've actually finished the outline and plot for this fic, so the only thing left to do is to write it. Still need a beta. :P

I know about his... condition. This takes place a few years after the timeskip. By now he has more control over his stupid nosebleeds. By now everyone has matured a bit, even Luffy. Please forgive me for not mentioning this earlier.

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

* * *

It was morning. Something was crawling on his eyebrow. Or... touching his eyebrow?

Sanji sat up on the soft fluffy bed. _Fluffy?_ _Soft?_ This isn't my bed.

He surveyed the room. Maps. Gold. Posters. Bounty. Nami? No. Sanji rubbed his eyes._ I must be dreaming._

He sank down onto the bed, and felt the presence of another person beside him. _What the fuck._

_I'm dead. Or I will be. PLEASE let this be a dream._

At that moment Sanji knew the meaning of heaven.

_Dear sweet heavenly angel, please let me have this dream forever._

"MELLO-" A hand covered his mouth quickly. He wondered if her hands were really this soft in real life.

He kissed the palm of her hand, and she abruptly pulled it away. _Damn._ "Were you playing with my eyebrow, Nami-san?"

She slapped him off the bed. His butt was throbbing from the fall. His cheek felt like it was hit with a hammer. _Strong._ "What was that for?!"

_Oh._

He wasn't dreaming?

At that, Sanji started to panic. Luffy would kill him. Zoro would kill him. If this goes out, he would never survive. His boned would be pulverized into dust before this was over. He would never see the outside world ever again. He would never get any nearer to finding All Blue. His captain, no, the whole crew, and every single male (and female) who was ever charmed by the lovely vision in front of him would never let him live. He should prepare his grave. Yes.

What's worse, he doesn't remember what happened last night. He must correct this. Immediately. If he was going to die anyway, he would be doing so with the knowledge (and satisfaction) of what he did. Down to the last detail.

"Nami-san? Did we-" He stopped at the embarrassed expression on her face. _Damn, how long did I ignore that? She must think I'm angry. Did she hit me because of last night? Did I do something bad?_

He went back beside her and hugged her. _MELLORINE! MELLORINE!_ "What happened last night, Nami-san? Did I do anything you didn't like?"

"No, I liked it." _Shit. Details, please. What exactly did I do?_

"What did I do, Nami-san?" _Please don't get angry._

"I was having nightmares. You went in and asked me if I was lonely." _Ohh, now I remember. And then she hugged me, and we fell asleep- and- OHHH, MELLORINE! LOVELY MELLORINE! SWEET MELLORINE! I'm not going to die!_

Her soft chest was pressing against his own. Not that he could blame her for that, since it's bigger than the usual size. He was desperately struggling for control. _STAY AWAKE. No nosebleeds until this is over. MELLORIIIIIIIIINE..._

"Nami-san, would you like me to prepare you some breakfast?" He smiled. This is a good start. Yes. Then he would leave and calm himself down and then they would go back to normal.

"Yes, p-"

BANG. That was the door. Behind him. Shit.

"HEY NAMI! HAVE YOU SEEN SANJI? I WANT-"

Nami suddenly hid behind his chest. Shitshitshit. Ohhhh, holy shit, he was going to die. Before he could find a girlfriend. No. Focus. Back to Nami, who was scared out of her wits. Holding him. Her breasts-

His brain died. _No, wake up. I have to do something. Quick. Shit._

"SAAAAANJI-"

Sanji promptly left Nami's embrace(damn), put on his shoes and shoved the foot into Luffy's mouth. Literally. He gave one last glance at Nami. Nami seemed lost, now that he wasn't holding her. _This is wrong. She's better than that._

"Nami-san, would you like some breakfast?" Nami blinked. She nodded slowly. Sanji grabbed Luffy's head and pulled him out of the door.

"If you need anything my Nami-san, just call my name. I will be able to hear you from the other side of the sea! I will shower my love upon your beautiful figure once again! Mellorine!"

He shut the door closed. Nami blinked again.

"I'm not yours, Sanji-kun," she replied to the closed door.

* * *

Outside, Luffy was raging and yelling expletives with Sanji's foot in his mouth. He promptly spit it out and started to yell again.

"Look, she needs her space. Remember what Chopper said. Anything we do can affect her."

"You son of a b*tch, you're definitely enjoying this. It's written all over your face." And it was.

Sanji composed himself immediately.

"Explain to me what is going on, Sanji." Luffy was serious now. He didn't want to ever think about last night. He never seriously doubted Sanji up until then, when everybody else was accusing him of assaulting Nami. In fact, what happened to Nami was probably worse. But he wanted to understand, for they are both part of his group. His nakama. "I'm not going to ask about your... moment, back there. I don't even want to think about your perverted plans for this. I know I can't get too close to Nami, but I don't know why."

"Luffy, that's because you're an idiot."

"KONO YAROOO..."

Sanji took out a cigarette and lighted it. He gave his captain one serious look that told Luffy everything he needed to hear.

"Give me a week."

* * *

Robin entered her room, carrying several choices for breakfast.

"I'm supposed to watch you instead of Cook-san, I think."

Well, it's a good choice. For someone Luffy can trust to not take advantage of Nami.

Nami sighed. Poor boy probably misunderstood the situation. Not that it was hard to misunderstand when they were practically all over one another. _Wait, we were, weren't we? I hope Sanji-kun didn't mistake that for something else._ She turned red, then heard a chuckle.

Robin was examining her face very closely.

Nami leaped backwards. Robin gave a very soft laugh, then gently touched Nami's arm.

"Can you handle it if I do this, Navigator-san?" Nami nodded slowly, trying her hardest to ignore Robin's hand.

Robin seemed disappointed. "That's fine too. I can listen to anything you want to say." She smiled at Nami. The other girl relaxed, then sighed.

"Everything's so confusing and wrong, nee-sama. Why me?"

"I don't know." Robin gave her a plate full of some unidentified meat. It smelled good, and had a heart shape in the rice. Sanji's usual breakfast. If it hadn't been him who had saved her...

"What if it hadn't been Sanji-kun?" Yes, what if? Then she'd probably be in the are of one of the idiots in the crew who didn't know how to be responsible in a situation. Actually, she's always trusted Sanji to be more responsible than the others. No matter how much he spoiled the females, he'd always be the first to grasp the gist of a situation or tell the others what is going on. If she wasn't around, he'd beat up the other men and tell them what they had to do.

"I don't know, Nami-san." But there's Robin too. Could Robin have saved her? No. She would have been another target for Hiro. She would've been caught along with Nami, then Robin would have never found the Rio Poneglyph.

"What's going to happen to my dream?" Because how was she going to draw a map without being able to handle the outside world?

"I don't know." Of course she wouldn't. Nami doubted Robin could ever care about something like that. Even when Nami was managing the crew, Robin was always laughing softly at the back of whatever mess the crew is in. She doesn't even help whenever the crew needs to be scolded or something.

"How will I be able to manage the crew if I'm like this?" Yes, since she's probably going to answer the same thing.

"I-"

"If you say I don't know one more time I will throw this plate at you." Robin laughed.

"Nami-san, what do you think?"

"I'm not going to be a good navigator. I'm going to be a big liability. I'm going to hog the ship's cook to myself. I will eventually end up somewhere that I can't bother others and I'm going to get kicked out of the crew." She was. She so knew it. She wasn't going to help them with anything, only hinder them because she's damaged somewhere.

"That's probably true, Navigator-san. But don't forget that this is only going to last a few days. You're going to go back to normal soon."

"But what if I don't?" Yes, what if?

"Navigator-san, I doubt you're going to let that happen to yourself." Robin smiled. "Of course, there's always the possibility that we lose our navigator then we get stranded somewhere in the calm belt and end up starving to death."

"I wonder why you still say morbid stuff like that."

"I like myself. Don't you, Nami-san?" That surprised her. Of course she did. She was confident and graceful, and she could accomplish anything she put her mind to. She loved money and expensive objects. She loved her body.

"Of course I do. Or at least I did."

"Then get better. You'll be back to normal as long as you try." Yes. Robin's right. She's better than this.

"Thanks."

* * *

Sanji was telling Chopper all the details that he could remember about their fight. Everything the guy said is now recorded in a notebook intended for Nami's "rehabilitation", as Chopper described it.

"Okay. For now, take note of the things that agitate her or scare her. Write it down in a list. Try to let her explore her surrounding and let her get closer to the people here when she can. I believe that with the proper amount of effort she can manage to at least handle herself in crowds and in our crew. If something is distressing her, take her away for a while until she's calm enough to return. This area isn't really studied much yet, so I might need more information. For now, be careful with her."

Sanji took a long drag out of his cigarette. "I see."

"I don't know if we can even fix her at all."

Sanji twitched and a vein appeared. He clenched his fist. "Just try, alright?"

"You know, you might need more rehab than Nami with the amount you smoke everyday."

"I can quit any time I want, I'm just choosing not to." This is getting tiring.

"Sure."

* * *

They had a meeting that night. The whole crew was informed. Chopper has already told Luffy what happened, and Luffy is telling the others.

"Just tell us what to do." Zoro was getting impatient. All this talk about her brain is confusing him. "Nami's head has gone bad. We get it. What, do we stay away until she's normal?"

"Don't treat Nami-san's head like a spoiled fruit! Kuso Marimo."

"What did you call me, dartboard face?"

"I SAID-"

"SHUT UP."

And at this everyone did. It was Chopper who spoke. "Look, this is important. Don't treat this like some casual thing. If you force anything on her, it could mean she will never get to navigate properly ever again. Do you guys want that?"

"So why Sanji?" Usopp was quick to voice the question in everyone's minds.

"I have a theory about that," Chopper started. "Say this medium was identifying the Yume Yume user as her master, what will happen if the connection was cut? It will find the nearest person to identify."

"What does Sanji have to do with that?"

"Since Sanji was the last one to touch the ball before it crashed, the message it gave was for him to be the new master. So she will trust only Sanji, and will be cautious of everyone else. Imagine a kid who only sticks to their parents, and cries very loudly when left with someone else."

"So Sanji's her parent now?" Brook followed this with his unusual laugh.

"What- No, my love for Nami-san is much more different than that!" Sanji didn't know if this was a meeting or a make-fun-of-Sanji group session. Why are these people so relaxed and casual? Their member just got attacked! And it's their navigator! How are they supposed to-

"Yes, yes, we know. Your love for Nami. Sheesh."

"Kuso Marimo. Do you want to take this outside?"

"So who's gonna cook, if Sanji's parenting Nami?" Usopp gave a worried glance at Luffy. Did he hear that?

"I can stay with Navigator-san. It seems she doesn't seem as wary of me as the others, for some reason." Robin refrained from mentioning that it might be because she's not that much of a touchy-feely person like the others in their group.

"Robin-chan is so reliable!"

Luffy glared at Sanji as if it was all his fault. Usopp gulped. So he DID hear that last part, after all.

"If she gets worse, I will kick your ass from here to East Blue. Nobody will be able to find even the smallest remains of your mangled body. I can promise you that." Luffy stared down each of them as if he expected no interruptions. He obviously didn't like it when somebody messes with his crew. "Look. I've never said this before, but I consider every single person in this crew as family."

Sanji gulped. So he's bothered about me and Nami-san being together?

Luffy turned around. "Meeting adjourned," he said before walking out.

Sanji took out a cigarette. He lighted it and blew.

"Our captain's grown so much." Robin smiled at him.

"SANJI! MAKE ME DOUBLE PORTIONS OF MEAT EVERY DAY FROM NOW UNTIL NEXT MONTH!"

Everybody sweatdropped. Robin's smile got bigger. "Maybe needs a bit of trimming here and there."

Sanji blew tobacco smoke. The others started filing out of the room.

"Wouldn't Nami be affected by that cigarette?" Zoro asked.

Chopper's eyes glinted. "Yes, yes it definitely will! Secondhand smoke gives people a lot of side effects that may hinder her rehabilitation! Wouldn't you want her to get better quickly, Sanji?"

Sanji twitched and then threw his cigarette onto an ashtray. He walked out of the room. "I'm gonna make Luffy's dinner now."

"It's as good as an affirmation already." Robin's serene smile was all that remained.

* * *

A/N: Beta? :3


	4. Confessions

A/N: Camille, my most inspiring reviewer, this chapter is for you. Lots of babysitting, as promised. ;)

* * *

(DAY 1)

It was cold. So very very cold. And dark. Nobody was around to rescue her. Nobody would ever want to. She would fall into the darkness. She would experience worse than anything that has ever happened to her, and nobody would care. They would all hurt her the same way.

Except-

No. She had to escape. She's not cut out for this life. She's better off away from people, away from those who say they care then turn their backs on her later on. She's not important enough to become an asset to anyone. In every fight, she's always the one who stands in the background, the one to hold Luffy's hat because they all KNOW she's not entering the fight, thus there wouldn't be a chance of her harming it.

But-

She's never experienced being thrust into a battle.

Maybe she has to blame them for that, too.

She's experienced a lot more when she was alone. But being alone-

The sound of a door creaking.

"Nami-san? Are you awake yet?"

She blinked her eyes. The white ceiling stared back at her.

"Nami-san, your lovely face is as beautiful as always! I have prepared you some breakfast in bed. Please accept this along with a passionate morning kiiiisss-"

She deftly avoided the mouth heading her way and yawned. In as unladylike a way as she possibly could. She noticed he was already dressed and ready for the day. But last night- or morning? He was here too. I had nightmares.

It didn't make sense.

How could he wake up so early, with the amount of work being forced upon him every day? She even stole more than three-fourths of his day already. He barely had time for himself. Nami remembered that he probably wanted to shop outside with the others. Yesterday, all she did was stay in her room and rest, but he stayed there with her.

Sure, he's always an opportunistic pervert, but this is getting out of hand.

Nami picked at her vegetable as she slowly tried to register everything she has been thinking about so far. She popped a heart-shaped carrot in her mouth and cringed. He seems to have put a lot of work into this, too. I don't like feeling guilty. I should think of other things. Like money.

Except she couldn't really rely on money that much anymore. For some reason, her head is telling her it's not something that can help her situation right now.

* * *

Sanji watched the emotions simultaneously appearing on her face. She probably didn't know how predictable she was. He smiled and wondered what line he should use on her today. Maybe then she'd say yes, and he could finally shower her with all the affection he could ever give.

He saw her play with her vegetables. Oh no! Did he choose some wrong ingredient somewhere? _Did her condition make her dislike carrots? Would she hate me for giving her something she didn't want to have this morning?_

She suddenly ate a carrot, then cringed.

_So she didn't like it?_

"Nami-san, don't you like carrots? I can prepare something else for you in a minute." He literally will finish cooking it in a minute. Even if she requested for a thousand-year-egg. Though she probably wouldn't, since he has yet to see anyone in this ship crave for unidentified delicacies. Still, he wouldn't risk Nami to dislike anything he has ever created.

"No, it's great, Sanji-kun. I was just thinking." She picked at her food again, and took a small bite of his specially flavored original olive-garlic rice. "Maybe I should try having one-on-one sessions with the crew or something."

Ahh. So it was that kind of cringe. He gave her a big smile.

"Don't worry, Nami-san. You shouldn't force yourself to get better too quickly. You should rest more. We can have all the time in the world to be affectionate and loving with one another! I can recite several poems for you right now, if you so wish!"

"No, thank you. Don't you have a week left, Sanji-kun?"

Wow. She was amazing. Did she read minds?

"How'd you find that out, Nami-san?"

Nami pointed at the door. "That door isn't soundproof, you know."

Sanji tried to reach for the cigarette pack he always had in his left pocket, but he suddenly realized that he wasn't carrying it around anymore. Oh, shit. He redirected his arm to grab something from the pile of books at Nami's bedside table. He studied the cover. Cloud formation and its relation to the environment.

Whaaaat?

"Where'd your cigarette pack go, Sanji-kun?"

Was he really that obvious? Fine. He'll try winging it, then.

"I ran out, Nami-san." Grin. Laugh.

"You never run out." Now it's his turn to assess her. How could she have observed that? Yes, he always keeps an extra pack or two hidden somewhere, but he always buys it with his money, not the crew's. How would she ever notice something so insignificant about him when he practically opens his heart for her to stomp onto every single minute of the day?

"Well, I don't really need them today, Nami-san."

* * *

Nami narrowed her eyes. This isn't right. Please don't waste yourself on me anymore.

"Why?"

Sanji smiled. He was probably thinking of some way to avoid having her learn too much about it.

"Luffy's shouting for breakfast now. I better hurry. Enjoy your food, Nami-san."

Then he practically ran out of the room. Nami twitched and went back to eating her food, now with purpose in her chewing.

_You're too easy to read today, Sanji-kun._

* * *

Everyone took turns visiting Nami in her room. She informed them all that the log pose will set the day after tomorrow. She gradually warmed up to them, even going so far as to laugh at Luffy's weird notions of what food might be in the new town (which she never got to explore). Later Robin arrived for her turn, bringing Nami a map of the area.

"Cook-san said you might want this, Navigator-san."

Nami's heart leapt. It seems he had been avoiding her all day. It was probably for the better, since he had to avoid smoking whenever her was near her. It was bad enough she had nightmares and he had to go to her room every other night (she still couldn't remember much of what happened, since she was mostly half-asleep when they happened), he had to compromise his habits too. She suddenly felt guilty, then shook her head. _Don't worry about him, you're more important. Right?_

She ignored her head (like Chopper advised her to do) and let Robin sit beside her.

The other female always kept her space, and she spoke fairly softly, too. That was good. Half the afternoon today was spent pointing to the "Please avoid noise" sign taped to the back of the door. Nami couldn't avoid pinning her eyes on it this time. She wondered if Sanji was going to ever show up. But she shouldn't care. Maybe.

"It's not love, you know."

_Huh?_

What were they talking about again? Sanji-kun?

"It's not," she agreed. "He's special, but I don't think love would mean just wanting to be protected by someone forever."

Robin motioned for her to continue her story.

"I didn't used to trust anything but myself and money."

"True."

"But now whenever I start to rely on either, I start thinking they might both betray me. Money isn't forever. I'm unstable. The only one I can rely on is Sanji-kun. That's not love, nee-sama. It's... larceny."

Robin nodded. But her smile never wavered. Robin gave one glance at the sign on the door, then on the ceiling.

"Did it ever occur to you that it was always given willingly?"

Nami considered the idea. _He did, but..._

"I used to think he was hoping for something perverted in exchange, so it was forgivable for me to take advantage of it. Now I'm not so sure. He's had so many chances, but he's letting them pass. It's like I'm not even that attractive to him anymore. He's just being nice because he's used to doing so."

Robin nodded again. "He IS a nice person. But for completely different reasons. And remember, he is very perverted, too."

Nami frowned. "But why would he pass this up, then?

"Because I don't want to have you this way, Nami-san."

The voice that came from the direction of the closed door was filled with regret and sadness.

* * *

Sanji had been listening outside her door all day. Everyone knew it. Nobody thought to even mention it to her. _Such loyal crewmates are so hard to find_, he thought.

He wanted to kick Usopp's butt when Nami kept silent throughout his hour.

He wanted to barge in and kick the crap out of Franky when he started telling normal things in his loud voice.

He wanted to bash the stupid Marimo's head in the wall when he ended up sleeping for his turn.

The biggest temptation so far, however, has been Luffy, who apparently didn't notice how much of Nami-s private space he was crossing. Sanji wanted to slice up the shitty gomu. Now that Robin was here, though, he was much more relieved and even had time to lie down behind the door.

That is, until they strayed to topics he was not comfortable with.

_Not love, huh?_ Well, he already knew that one a long time ago. He's said the words so many times, and she usually does when he asks, too. But he's never seen her look at him the same way. Not even now, when she's so dependent on him. But he's never wanted to stop. He doubted he ever could. He'll probably die single and alone, a handsome bachelor for the rest of his days. And if it was for her, he would never mind.

"I don't want to have you this way, Nami-san."

That was true. He always had his ethics. If a girl jumps into his arms of their own free will, well, he wouldn't mind. But Nami being his just because of some other person's devil fruit messing with her mind? That was worse than Absalom's weird forced marriage. That wasn't free will.

Sanji is, and always will be, the perfect gentleman.

And he loved her enough for him to never touch her while she's broken. Most of it was his fault in the first place.

Silence was his answer.

Well, he always knew she didn't really take him seriously. He didn't want to admit that to himself, though.

So he will pretend a little longer, just for her.

Damn, Sanji wanted a cigarette at that very moment.

"Robin-chan too! Neeh, I'll go and prepare everyone a special dinner that will never make you want to leave my table ever again! Just you wait, Nami-swaaaan! And if you like it, please prepare your lips for a passionate kiiiiiss!"

And then he ran away. Like he always did.

* * *

That night, he slept very soundly. He never realized how tired he was until he arrived at his bed and practically collapsed into it without even bothering to remove his shoes. He had such a good sleep, however, that he was surprised to find himself awake in the very early morning with nothing to do.

Until he remembered that Nami had nightmares around this time.

He was late.

Shit.

He ran all the way to the ladies' side of the bedrooms, nearly knocking over some stupid table and lamp that some shitty walkway designer wannabe probably left to make it look more presentable. He skidded past her room, and his hand barely caught the doorknob.

He hesitated. Should I go in? Is she even comfortable with me, right now?

But he could hear her tears from outside the door. Because his hearing was always clearer when it involved her.

* * *

For the first time since getting caught, Nami fond herself scared and unable to sleep.

She was alone in her room.

She was probably alone in the ship, too.

Nobody was here to protect her. Nobody but herself. She couldn't even fight properly, how would she be able to do anything right? And she had a bounty on her head. Everybody else would be waiting for her to slip up somehow so they could hand her over to the marines. And everybody else left the ship because they didn't care about her, nobody else did.

Sanji was probably tired of her, too.

Wait, what was she saying? This is her head talking. Her affected head with all the nightmares and the stupid messages given by the Yume Yume guy. She wasn't going to fall for that! Nobody can control her head like she does!

But she wasn't able to stop the tears from coming.

And then the door opened.

It was Sanji.

She immediately knew. Nobody else could find her like he does. He was always there, even when she didn't want him to be.

But now, she desperately needed someone.

And she started crying again.

He strode in without hesitation, using his long legs to form three strides. He scooped her up in his arms gently and firmly, making sure to never let her fall. He brushed her hair wet with salty tears away from her face and smiled. He stroked her back.

"You're fine as you are, Nami-san. Nobody wants to hurt you."

How did he know? Was it from the previous nights of her half-awake mutterings, full of darkness and despair? Was he listening to her talking in her sleep? Why did he take so long to rescue her?

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep. If you'd allow me to, I'll sleep here from now on. Okay?"

She nodded. The relief flushing through her body warmed her and she shook. Her trembling hands grasped his shirt.

"Please don't leave."

* * *

His eyes caught a glimpse of her cleavage. What the hell are you thinking about, you shitty pervert? He didn't like seeing her like this. He liked her when she was assertive. He liked when she cared about others. He liked when she was ordering him around. He's always ready to shout his appreciation for her strength whenever he is lucky enough to witness it.

Anybody who makes her cry is marked for death in his eyes.

So what does that make him?

"Please don't leave.

His grip on her tightened. He wanted to hate himself. He wanted a cigarette. But there is no time to think about any of that now.

The only important thing right now are her tears. He mustered his courage to smile at her.

"I promise, Nami-san. You won't get rid of me that easily."

* * *

A/N: I was SO tempted to make this a cliffhanger, but I remembered that I was going on vacation tomorrow. xD Expect the next update to be given by tuesday (possibly monday if I get enough reviews, nudge, nudge, wink, wink). On other news, did you watch episode 583? You won't regret it, I promise. ;)


	5. Ideas

A/N: Rushed this at the very last minute, since work was slowing me down. Camille, rambling is great. Keep doing more of that, please.

And yes, I do read the manga. The Punk Hazard arc seems to be taking a while to finish, though. No SaNa since the whole body thing (which is a GREAT hint that the mangaka might be leaning a little towards them, since he even said "no romance, except for Sanji"). Did I mention that it seems like every single major plot arc seems to have SaNa in it somewhere? The Thriller Bark Wedding, the Mr Prince in Alabasta, Rescuing Nami from Enel, their daughter in Long Island, etc.

Btw, I'm not seeking a great war with LuNa or ZoNa fans, so ignore your fangirlish defensiveness, whoever you are.

Okay, enough talk. On with the story!

* * *

(DAY 2)

She was a storm. A force of nature that swept away everything he ever had. She destroyed his ship and crushed his dreams. She ruined him for everything and everybody else. He was never able to stop her. The most he could manage was to bend to her will as she led him to places unknown.

But, looking at her now, he couldn't be more disappointed.

What happened to her fire?

That- _asshole._

He knew he should have killed that piece of garbage, but he was too worried about getting Nami to safety at the time.

Now, he had an opportunity and a motive to consider murder.

He decided to tell Luffy the guy was still alive. Maybe he could casually mention Nami having nightmares. Maybe he could join them while Nami's resting. He could even finish it on his own if they didn't get the hint. He doubted Luffy or any of the others would let the bastard live, though.

Sanji decided to wake up. He was lying beside Nami,_ again_. Shit.

_MELLORINE! NAMI-SAN'S SLEEPING FACE IS SO BEAUTIFUL! NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO THIS VISION OF PERFECTION! NAMI-SAAAAAN! MELLORIIINE!_

He cupped a hand over his mouth before his thoughts could escape anywhere. He didn't want a nosebleed now. Not when she's so close. Not when she's sleeping so peacefully for the first time in days. Not when her beautiful face can be marred by the stench and dark color of his blood.

Nami suddenly turned to face him and hugged his arm to her chest. Her legs hugged his. Her knee brushed against his-

_SHIT. OH,SHIT-OH,SHIT-OH,SHIT_

_Too late._

He managed to slowly untangle his limbs from her grip. He moved away from beside her before grabbing the tissue on her desk.

_SPURT_-

He gasped and took one longing look at his soft bed. He so wanted to return. He longed for the soft feel of her smooth skin, barely covered by the pajamas she wore. He missed her warmth. But it wasn't for him. It wasn't supposed to be for anyone. That bastard stole her future.

For Sanji, that was unforgivable.

* * *

Nami woke alone again. Well, she always used to, since Robin did all-nighters in a cot in the library.

The door opened and she expected Sanji to enter. But instead, Chopper went in. Nami screamed.

Sanji rushed in the room and readied to kick whoever was making her scream. It was Chopper. He blinked groggy eyes back at Nami. "What's going on, Nami-san?" Damn, his throat felt bad. Did she hear that right? "Nami-san? Are you okay?"

Nami nodded silently.

* * *

Chopper was already hiding behind the biggest surface he could find, which, in this case, was Nami's drawer. He shivered and wished he'd accepted Robin's offer to accompany him. But he was a man! And he was the assigned doctor to this crew! He wasn't going to falter now! Even though Sanji looked... murderous-

Wait, why wasn't he pulling out a cigarette? He'd be calming himself down with a smoke right now, wouldn't he?

At that moment, Chopper remembered the small lie he told Sanji. He realized what Sanji's actions might mean.

_He's shivering. And his voice was really rough earlier, too._

It was weird for a "lover" who usually took such care of his appearance towards girls to suddenly lose his smooth and calm demeanor, much less his suave voice. It was too unlike him. Even discounting the fact that he was too affected by the events of the last few days, Sanji would still make sure to look impeccable in the occasion that his services might be required by a female.

It was at that moment when Chopper noticed the amount of sweat on Sanji's neck.

_He's experiencing withdrawal._

Chopper deigned to conveniently ignore what Sanji was doing to his body. _If he knew what was going to happen to him, he shouldn't have made his body dependent on nicotine in the first place. _Chopper knew that pointing it out would only make Sanji more aware of what was happening to his body. Though maybe he should stay away from their ship's cook for a while. Unless if Nami is involved.

Oh yeah.

Chopper cleared his throat. He should take care of this right away. The sooner he can stay away from Sanji the better.

_The fact that he is willing to go this far for Nami, though, is scary._

Chopper ignored his mental commentary and observed Nami's face. _She doesn't seem to be experiencing any adverse effects, but I might have to check her body to be sure. _He took out his stethoscope. "May I?"

* * *

Nami gave a very earnest shake of the head. Sanji offered to do the checkup instead. Nami nodded.

Chopper sighed. "Did you feel anything different since being attacked?"

Nami shook her head. Not so far.

"Nami-san's been having nightmares. Is that normal?"

Chopper blinked. "Those should fade away after a few nights. Make sure to find a way to contact Sanji if you need company, alright? I have checked with the medical libraries in this town. It seems they have a lot of information regarding these types of conditions. Your emotional state will be reduced to an infant's. Your intellect will remain the same, but the part of your brain that was most affected was the Limbic System. Due to the invasion of an aggressive outside force, the part of your brain that controls dreams and emotions is...wounded, shall we say. So you might have skewed judgment and a short attention span. You might also receive some wrong or edited memories." Nami gasped. This is a lot to take in.

"I am only informing you this so you can be more aware of what is going on. I cannot explain any of this to Luffy. Sanji, you will be overseeing her recovery. But don't worry, your brain is only trying to defend you now. With the proper amount of rest and care, we will restore your emotional state to that of a healthy human being's. But don't strain yourself too much, okay? If your head starts to hurt or if you feel like resting, do that as often as you like."

"What about the navigating?"

* * *

Chopper fixed his eyes on Sanji. "You will act as her eyes, ears and voice. If she says anything, make sure it gets done."

"Of course." He already was.

Chopper smiled. "Other than that, it seems that you are perfectly healthy now. I can guarantee you that you will not collapse anytime soon. Be careful of panic attacks, though. If that happens, find Sanji and give him a signal. He'll know what to do.

_No, I don't. You shitty treehead._

Outwardly Sanji smiled at Nami and offered her brunch. She smiled back. He ignored the sweat on his brow. He ignored the twisting of his stomach. He ignored his hands shaking for a small stick of tobacco to balance between his fingers. He focused on her smile, and felt grateful that he had yet another day to bask in it.

He heard the sound of the door closing from far away. What was- oh, Chopper. He was alone with her. Again. She wasn't sleeping and rubbing the private parts of his body this time. His brain nearly overloaded from that memory. After all this was over, he was going to keep this in a private corner of his heart, content with the memory that he was ever able to be that close to her because of a small incident like this. Now that she's going to be better, he didn't need to worry anymore.

However, he was still going to find the bastard who did this to her. _THEN I will starve him, rip out his testicles and chop his balls into itty bitty pieces before serving it to him in a fine-_

"Sanji-kun?"

He was smiling so brightly. He carefully schooled his expression into one of calm confidence. He was getting better at managing his withdrawal. Or so it seemed. Okay, maybe not.

"Yes, Nami-san?"

"Let's go to the kitchen. I want to eat brunch."

"Of course, Nami-san."

* * *

Later that day, they both went out to go shopping since Nami claimed it was one of the ways she can relieve her stress. The other ways were getting a lot of money (which would take a while), stealing something pricy (which was dangerous), and getting a free spa treatment (which was also out since she wasn't in any condition to have a professional touch her body). So, shopping it is.

Besides, Sanji had this brilliant idea of what to do with his cigarette money stash.

_A mini spice garden! That way, we won't have to use dry spices too much, and I can use more combinations with fresher spices._

He's always avoided getting a set of spice plants since he kept putting off the idea. But now that he had enough extra money to invest in something like that, the idea kept getting better and better. He could even buy herbs and fragrance plants and tea plants!

Sanji browsed through the plant shop. _Which plants would fit inside the kitchen?_

He picked a pot full of fully-grown spring onions. He smelled the rosemary bags and chose the ones that seemed the healthiest. He clucked at the dryness of the oregano. He chose a few more spices to add to his collection. _Guess this would be a good set to start with._

With this many herbs and spices, he could feed them for days and their food will still keep growing back. It was the secret to having a restaurant at sea. Make sure you grow your own produce, so that you can never run out of food even when you're stranded for months. Years, even.

It was so simple and brilliant that Sanji was nearly tempted to ask Franky to create a small farm area inside the ship. Just the idea made him giddy. Two breeding chickens can give birth to a hundred more in two months. By then, they'll never run out of chicken meat ever again. Oh, and a good cow can produce enough milk for him to create a hundred different types of yogurt and cheese! He could even make small desserts if he experimented enough with the milk! He could make creme caramel and cheesecake and cookies! _Oh, I can almost imagine the look in Nami-san's eyes when I create such concoctions from thin air-_

_And then we'd kiss-_

He avoided releasing an inner giggle. No. He was a man. Besides, the cute lady handling the register might take offence to his compliments if she saw.

So busy was Sanji that he didn't notice Nami had already escaped his company for nearly fifteen minutes.

* * *

Nami needed to experiment for how long she could handle being without Sanji. Dependence, huh? She entered a random shop and began looking around.

Unfortunately for her, she seemed to have entered a shop that demanded a lot of manliness and brawn from its customers.

It's a weapons shop. A heavy weapons shop. She instinctively felt for the soothing presence of her Clima-tact. Only it didn't soothe her. Oh yeah.

She wasn't scared. Nami knew she couldn't just apologize and go back outside. She couldn't claim to have entered the wrong shop, either. That would definitely invite leering looks and unwanted attention. And somebody would probably hit on her. Having a good figure does that to you.

She probably looked the easy type, too. Pretty, sexy, scared and lost. Easy to compliment and easy to convince for someone to take her somewhere else. Before, all she needed was a confident smile and a lot of guts to ignore the jerks. Now, she didn't know.

She remembered what she had to do. Stride in and ignore their looks. If she was lucky nobody would try to hit on her. If she wasn't, she could easily ignore whoever it is. And then she had to look at prices, maybe try out a few sharp knives, then ask a few questions about quality before smiling and saying she'll browse through other shops first. Then she will leave.

Easy, right?

Nami knocked over a shelf full of shields. The clanging and crashing made her cringe. Shit.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sanji had just paid for his recent purchases when he heard something crash from outside. Probably some poor kid who dropped a vase. Hmm... pepper shouldn't be this expensive.

"Hey, Nami-san, what do you think about the price of this pepper plant?"

He realized his companion wasn't to be found anywhere on the shop. He looked around a bit more. It WAS a big shop, after all. But no, she wasn't there. Did she go on a bathroom break or something?

* * *

Across the street, Nami was apologizing while avoiding the scrutinizing eye of the shop's salesman. Salesgiant, rather.

She was surprised she actually managed to sound confident enough for her to pass off as her usual normal self. Minus her shaking legs and her averted eyes, of course. Nami started picking up the fallen items, but they were so heavy she wondered if she could finish it by the time Sanji realized she wasn't there.

Sanji-kun.

She was in trouble.

She hurried in hanging the heavy shields. A big hand picked up the last one for her. She tried to say thank you, but the words got stuck in her throat. He was a VERY big man. Everybody else in the shop is, actually.

The man smiled and said, "Everybody gets clumsy sometimes. Why are you here in such a place, though? Did your big bro forget to pick up his axe or something?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry for using your time. I really should hurry now, though."

"Aw, don't worry about it miss. You sure you don't wanna stick around? Everybody here is nice as long as you tell us what you need."

Suddenly the words seemed menacing. Looking around, Nami could see the intentions of every single male in the shop.

No, this might be my brain talking, like Chopper said. I have to remain calm and detached. Calm and detached. That's it.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the time. Thank you very much for your help, though." She waved a hand goodbye, but the man suddenly grabbed it. He pinned her to the wall. All the shields fell down again.

"You little bitch, you think you can fool me like that?!" All her suspicions suddenly made sense. Her eyes widened and she tried to reach for her Clima-tact.

"You're practically asking for a fuck, with what you're wearing. Come with me, I'm sure we have a special place just for women like you."

BANG- CRASH- "DIABLO JAMBLE MUTTON SHOT!"

In less than half a second, the man had gone through the floor.

* * *

Sanji heard another crash from outside. He turned on his Nami-radar. She was outside. And a big bulky man was cornering her.

He told the saleslady that he would return for his purchases later and flew (literally) all the way across the road. He slammed the door open.

"DIABLO JAMBLE MUTTON SHOT!"

He aimed the man's head towards the ground. He felt the satisfaction when he saw the head go through the wood. Then silence. Everybody else's eyes bulged and the shopkeeper smartly pretended to be looking somewhere else.

"Nami-san, let's go home."

* * *

A/N: Sanji's angst since last chapter is from the withdrawal, and his stress. He can't tell anyone about what he's feeling and he's not really aware of Nami's recovery. Probably needs many sessions with a therapist, but this is _Sanji_, so... you know.

Also, the bad attention span and his losing touch with the world for moments at a time is also connected to his withdrawal.

I had to research A LOT about brains and nicotine withdrawal before I started writing this story. Hopefully it paid off. Was Chopper OOC, or did he sound like he usually did when there's a medical situation? Review and I shall finish another chapter then. ;)

Toodles!


	6. Hesitations

A/N: I wanted to start earlier, but... yeah. No muse. Sort of. And mah baby girl gotz a fever. ;_;

No, seriously.

This was written while listening to "Brand New World", the sixth opening to One Piece sung by D-51.

Nosferatu: Yes, yes it is. :)

More reviews guarantees faster updates. ;3

* * *

It was two minutes after they had already left the remains of what used to be a popular weapons store when he finally noticed how quiet she had gotten. Or how silent _he_ was being. Was he really this messed up?

Yes, he was.

He smoked too much and he knew it. He wasn't going to let her catch onto that, however.

Sanji dreaded having to deal with female problems. He hated how they can get so easily emotional over simple problems that men can solve with a few punches. It was why he so casually let them order him around so easily, because anything different would open up a great new argument that often resulted in more than a trip to the hospital. Women remembered things too easily. Men get angry, punch each other and forget it the next day.

So when a female is upset, Sanji would just flatter them in some way. Or, failing that, he would find a way to get himself punched. Serious situations sometimes make him forget, however. That doesn't mean it's too late to fix her mood. He stopped walking and casually grinned.

"So... Nami-san."

Nami stopped walking too. Good. He wanted to ask her, anyway.

"Did you fall for me all over again?"

He carefully waited for the punch that was coming. He closed both eyes and cringed, wondering if her fist was ever going to land on his cheek.

_So. Three, two, one._

But the pain never registered. He opened an eye and saw her shaking with anger. She was beautiful to him at that moment, her eyes full of rage and fire and her small frame tensing for a full on attack. But she only stayed that way. Nami didn't move one step from her position.

_I guess that meant a no?_

She didn't punch him. Instead, he was left standing while she walked as quickly as she could in some random direction that was nowhere near the Sunny-go.

* * *

"Did you fall for me all over again?"

She nearly punched him. She desperately wanted to, hoping she could accept the release he easily allowed her. But as she was about to hit him, she saw him expect her oncoming strike. She stopped herself. Did he always do this? You jerk.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to hit him more. But she pulled herself back. Then she ran away and never looked back.

Nami could barely hear Sanji's many proclamations of her "awesomeness". Somewhere along the way back, she had even grabbed his hand and dragged him back, with Sanji shouting "MELLORINE!" repeatedly the whole time. Nami's head was a cloudy mess of jumbled thoughts and feelings she didn't want to acknowledge at the moment. She was in so much of a hurry that she nearly hit someone, had Sanji not pulled her hand back. She tugged at his grip, and he released her.

"Nami-san? Did I do something wrong?"

She ignored him. There was something familiar with the person she was about to run into earlier. Black hair, and dark skin...

"Robin!" She took the older girl's hand. "Are you busy?"

"Robin-chan! As elegant as ever!" She could hear Sanji exclaim the words behind her. "Would you like to go share a slice of cake with me? Of course, with Nami-san's permission. If you two like, we could have some tea at this shop, all three of us."

Before Robin could turn him down, she pulled the other girl to the direction of the ship. "Hey, I don't feel so well. Wanna go back to the ship with me?"

"Nami-san? Were you hurt earlier?! I'll carry you!"

Before he could make good on his offer, she threw a pebble at his face. Then she ran towards the Sunny.

* * *

Sanji dejectedly cursed the heavens for putting him so close to two of the most beautiful women on earth and then making it so that they could never see him as someone to consider going out with. Sure, they fought a lot of people for a living, and sure, they were nowhere near finishing their journey yet, but did she really have to turn him down so quickly? She even threw a freaking stone at him.

He casually strolled through the streets, making sure to take his time enjoying the lovely late afternoon glow of the streets. It was so picturesque, but he never noticed these types of things when he was with his crew. Back in the Baratie, he was always busy and there certainly was no street or view to admire when all you saw was an open sea day in and day out. When he was with the others, he was always finding some way to impress the females or feed Luffy. But now...

I hope she notices this too.

Then, as he neared the Thousand Sunny, he saw her on the deck. She was smiling at something Robin said. She seemed to be more at ease with the others now. Sometimes he forgot how beautiful she can be, being lighted by the dying colors of the setting sun. She was always out of his reach that way. He had already resigned himself to it, after years and years of being the silly male who wouldn't stop being manipulated. But she was now so close that it would be all too easy to take advantage of her.

But Sanji wasn't that type of guy.

* * *

Nami was sitting on the grass of the Sunny's deck with Robin. It was a picturesque view, with the sun creating a perfect blend of orange and purple hues on the numerous squall clouds forming beside the horizon. She had a front row seat to the most incredible view as of the moment, but all she could think about was how his face looked when she left him waiting for her answer.

"Neh, Navigator-san."

Robin was looking at her oddly. Well, at least what odd would mean for her. Robin's brow was raised, and her gaze wasn't focused on Nami. Nami gave back a questioning look, which was answered with a quick tilt of the head to one direction. Nami peeked at the streets using her peripheral vision. Standing there in the middle of the crowd was Sanji, gazing at her with what could only be defined as a lovestruck fool's face. She blinked and played with the ground.

"Should I care about that?" She pouted at Robin. Th older girl let out a breath of air and gave a carefree smile to the sky. Robin patted the floor next to her, signaling Nami to scoot a bit closer. Nami did so hesitantly and leaned on her friend.

"He obviously does." Robin wasn't one for articulate words. She was capable of sharing complicated amounts of information on a specific subject, but she usually talked in a way that only stated the obvious. This Robin was fun and easy to deal with, according to Luffy. To Nami, this was the Robin she usually encountered the most. But she was really hard to talk to.

"It's not like that, Robin." Please don't find other things to point out to me.

"Is it because he's equally affectionate towards every other female?" Huh. She got really close there. While it really was a sore point with Nami when Sanji turned into a complete girl slave after she got to know him, it was his freedom to do that. And it didn't really bother Nami now. It used to, back when she was still defensive and frustrated about everything. She was a teenager, so it was to be expected. Now, she has matured enough to accept life as it is.

Nami blinked. But that isn't what Robin is pointing out to her. Nami wondered if Robin was always this deep. She used to be the older female they all looked up to, but Robin was always so cool and laid back that being emotional wasn't put into the category.

"No, I don't think so." It wasn't. "He can do that as much as he likes."

"Then what is it?" That got Nami thinking. If it wasn't that, then why wasn't she going there spending time with him instead of moping in the corner of the ship with Robin? Did Robin even want to spend time with her right now? Nami never knew what was going in the other girl's head. But that wasn't the issue right now. Nami thought hard.

"He's not mine to own." But that was a lie.

* * *

Franky was watching the two girls having a conversation. He saw Nami starting to open up to Robin. He didn't know how to approach her, since the only approach he ever gave anybody was to flash them his pose. If it was a kid, they'd like the robot body. If it was a female, they'd give him a disgusted look then they'd disappear somewhere. But that didn't used to matter to Franky. He used to get by good enough without needing to learn how to get close to a female.

Until he entered the crew, that is.

But when he entered, Nami was already her happy, violent self. This Nami was a stranger. Apparently, she was withdrawn and didn't even go near to anyone she wasn't that close to. According to Usopp (but he could be lying too) Nami was around or much the same when they first met her. Only less confident and more withdrawn. According to Luffy, she'll be fine. According to Chopper, whatever they do might affect her in the future. But if the doctor's words were to be trusted, then that meant she will b back to normal in a few more days. Then they can put this in the logbook as a silly side story that could or could not have happened, and then they'll laugh it off later. Hopefully.

And now he had to worry if he should add adjustments to the ship for them to manage without a navigator. Nami had enough trouble speaking to one of them at the moment. If she had to shout orders like she usually did, there would be a big problem.

He was sufficiently worried for the state of their crew, but everyone always follows the captain's orders.

Oh, well. That's that. Thinking too much on females made Franky bored anyway. Sure, he was a pervert, but in a different way. He'd rather flash them his underwear than see theirs. Wait, he wouldn't. Whatever. But Robin only joined a little while before he did, and she didn't know the "pre-Arlong" Nami that well either. Why was she so comfortable with Nami?

Maybe it was something with Franky? So he had to try harder, then?

Time to try talking to Nami.

* * *

It was finally time for dinner. This was the first meal the whole crew had together since they arrived at the island. Prior to the refection, Sanji had locked himself in the kitchen for two hours, emitting such crazy sounds that even Robin was tempted to peek in using her power. When she actually saw what he was doing, she only smiled and muttered a, "You'll see."

When everybody entered they couldn't believe their eyes. Sanji didn't usually present his talents at decoration, but it was a simple fact that they all took for granted even though he always used it to the best of his ability with the presentation of his dishes. This time, the whole kitchen and dining room was beautifully altered to include the presence of several small plants, most of which bloomed fragrant flowers. Even Zoro couldn't stop the appreciation showing on his face. They all sat on their usual places at the table, waiting for him to signal the start of the meal.

Sanji proudly filled the table with new dishes that none of them have ever seen before.

* * *

Nami shivered. It was cold tonight. The atmosphere was warm enough, but it wasn't enough for her to avoid rubbing her shoulders. She looked up. It was going to be a starry night, and the reflection of the sky on the calm sea was a small part of the beauty the night was going to offer them. She was with the others, having fun and munching on snacks while Brook played some random fun song that he probably invented on the spot. She laughed when he made a particularly bad perverted joke to Robin, and got beaten up for it by Franky. She shivered again. That's weird.

"You seem cold, Nami-san. Wear this." And then she felt a warm suit cover her shivering shoulders. The only one who really did that for her was Sanji-kun. She could never expect the same consideration and courtesy from any of her other friends. Not even Franky, and he was the most considerate out of all of them. But Sanji-kun topped even that.

Oh, yeah. She hadn't thanked him for saving her yet.

She turned around to tell him, but he was already gone. Sad, that. She saw Franky looking at her. Oh, no. Did I do something bad to him?

Then Franky sat beside her.

"Hey, Nami." He seemed to be thinking deeply about something. _But please don't. You'll unscrew your brain._

"Y-yeah?" She internally scolded herself for the stutter. Why couldn't she stop at least that?

"I'm sorry we couldn't do anything for you."

"What? That's it? She laughed. "I'm starting to feel better already, so it's okay." Franky seemed relieved at that, and immediately gave his trademark grin. He looked around twice, and his grin got even bigger. He bumped hr shoulder.

"So where'd your overprotective knight go?" _Huh? Oh, Sanji._

"I don't know." She looked down. He seemed do distant today, after the incident out at town. Well, that was obvious why. She ran away from him, after all. _Probably thinks I'm not worth his time. No, this is Sanji. I shouldn't rely on my brain. But why would he stay away? He even gave me his coat._

"Hey, Chopper. Is today going to affect me badly?" She turned to the little reindeer sitting beside her, singing some song with Brook. Chopper considered her frame for a moment before nodding.

"Well, you're talking to me now. That's an improvement as far as I'm concerned."

* * *

Sanji hesitated in front of her bedroom door. He had been waiting outside for a while now, wondering if she was already asleep. He wanted a cigarette so badly, but he didn't want her to get worse. And his mood was getting worse, since he lost interest in doing anything after cleaning up after dinner. He knocked and entered the room.

Nami was awake, reading the Clouds book he picked up the other night. The overhead light was turned off, and she was being lighted by a tiny lamp dial she had stolen from Usopp a few years before. Her face was being lighted in the ethereal glow of her small device, and then she looked at him with her brown eyes. He stopped breathing for that single moment.

"H-hey, Nami-san. Would you like some refreshments?" He gave her a casual grin and went inside. She considered the idea for a minute, before shaking her had no. He set the cot he had been carrying at the side of her bed, then arranged it. The whole time he was fixing his makeshift bed, she was staring at him, as if she couldn't believe he had the nerve to show up now after vanishing for how many hours from the crew.

In truth, he was hiding in the side, watching her happy face brighten up in the company of their group.

"Neh, Sanji-kun." He looked up, and saw her beautiful face fill up with hesitation.

"Hmm?" He tilted his had to indicate he was waiting for her statement. She relaxed a bit, and breathed out her words.

"Thank you. For today." Oh, she didn't say that often. But she was still fragile and dependent on him, so maybe that was to be expected. But he couldn't take advantage of her. Ever.

"Does that mean you'll give me a thank-you kiss?" Then lean in a bit, and wait for it.

She punched him lightly. He laughed. She laughed too. He felt better. This was more like the usual Nami.

"Goodnight, Nami-san." He lay down on his small cot, and pulled up the blanket. He prepared to sleep the usual way, with his back to the bed in a straight line.

"I can talk to the others better now." He looked at her. She hadn't even moved a bit from her position earlier. He put an arm under his head and turned to her. She seemed as if she wanted his opinion. Whether it was approval or disappointment she wanted, though, was completely unknown to him. But he will try being honest.

"That's good." And then she laughed lightly before turning off the small lamp.

But he couldn't stop the loneliness creeping in his heart. He fixed his position. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

A/N: This took a while. Again, review and I'll update faster. :D


	7. Realizations

I wanted to update sooner. Muse said no. ;_;

* * *

(DAY 3)

Sanji sleepily wiped off the drowsiness from his eyes. He slowly sat up and studied his surroundings. He was in Nami's room. In a small cold cot.

_At least the withdrawal isn't affecting my body clock. It would be a big complication if I couldn't make Luffy's breakfast on time. And these days I'm operating on little sleep as it is, since Nami-san keeps waking up from these nightmares of hers._

He examined the slumbering form of the person lying on the bed beside his cot. Did I wake up too early? I wonder if she would be troubled if I leave to make breakfast now. _What time IS it, anyway?_

He inspected the room once again to search for any means of telling the time. _There! Five AM._ It was a small desk clock, probably something she used when she was secluding herself in this room to make those amazing maps of hers. _What a sight it must be, her focused eyes concentrating on her work, her face being lighted by the small glow of the lamp, her lovely soft hands expertly finishing a new piece of art. Oh, Nami-san. I wish I could be there to wrap a blanket around your shoulders on such a pleasant night. And maybe I could hug you, and then you'd sigh my name-_

"Sanji-kun." _Yes, just like that-_ What?

He turned back towards Nami's sleeping face. _Did she just say my name in her sleep? She did! I didn't imagine that one! She must be dreaming about me!_ He joyfully gave an internal happy dance at the thought. His mind was filled with mini Sanjis, jumping and frolicking in a small circle. They were all chanting lively _Mellorine!s._

Sanji leaned in to gaze at her dreaming features. She was breathing lightly, and her mouth was slightly curled up in a smile. Sanji fixed his eyes on a small lock of hair that was blocking her nose. He gently brushed it aside, carefully so as not to-

"Sanji-kun?" _Shit. Did she wake up?_

She didn't. Nami was still asleep, her mouth half-open now, breathing out so lightly he could barely hear the sound. _But she definitely said my name-_

Nami punched him. Hard. It was so strong that he was flung back to the floor by the sheer force of it. He blinked and lifted a hand to feel if his cheek was still there. He glanced back at Nami.

She was already sitting up. Her arms were stretching upwards. Her body tried to extend itself towards the ceiling, while her thick blanket fell off from her chest and revealed the taut mold of her perfectly shaped breas-

Sanji shook his head. _Don't look there. Don't look-_

His eyes, however, failed to follow. He watched the pair of soft bouncy flesh tighten and follow the form of her curvy body, all while she was obliviously stretching her whole form. She then covered her mouth with her hands and yawned a bit. _Damn._

Sanji innocently focused his gaze on something less likely to earn him another punch. _Like her face, for example. While she is rubbing her eyes so cutely-_

"Ah! Good morning, Nami-san! Might I say you look absolutely adorable this morning as well." He gave her his brightest smile. "May I have a morning kiiiiiiisss-"

This time she punched him for real.

* * *

Sanji rubbed his cheek for the nth time that morning while he internally grumbled to himself. He was cooking breakfast for the whole crew while Nami was off doing something on her own. She was slowly gaining her independence from him, it seemed. Not that he was complaining. It was a good thing that she could stand to be away from him for longer times now.

Luffy entered the door behind him with the usual requests for meat early in the morning. After him followed Brook and Usopp, both discussing the idea of collaborating with some sniper attack using Brook's music. Soon Luffy entered the conversation with his own ideas of a mini musical play using Usopp's explosives as characters. They would probably make it work somehow, but it wasn't any of Sanji's business what part of the ship they will destroy. That was Franky's problem. As for him, all he needed to do was finish searing 8 steaks and wrap up the last of the pancakes. And then he had to prepare some new beverage for Nami. _AND Robin. Must not forget that._

So Sanji was quite busy that morning. It was when he laid down the last stack of pancakes on the table that Nami entered the dining room, accompanied by Franky and Robin. She had apparently taken a bath while he was busying himself in the kitchen, thus she was already out of her pajamas and was wearing something a little less revealing. Sanji held in a disappointed sigh.

He immediately took out a new set of newly-baked cupcakes from the oven, and offered her the whole pan.

She kept talking to Robin. Luffy, who was already done eating his steak, grabbed two of the cupcakes and subsequently stuffed them in his mouth. Sanji twitched, then focused on keeping quiet. Luffy proclaimed it was delicious and immediately grabbed another. Charming. Sanji's teeth ground themselves a bit, and then he ignored it. He smiled.

Sanji asked Nami again, and this time she noticed him and took one. He let out a small breath and waited for her reaction. Once she had shown a small smile of appreciation on her face, he turned to Robin and asked the same. The other girl took one as well, then the whole pan was pulled from his hands as Luffy tried to cram both pancakes and cupcakes up his cavernous jaw.

A vein throbbed on Sanji's temple. He wasn't happy. At all.

* * *

Chopper had been observing Sanji's actions the whole time. He saw the discouraged sigh, the clenched jaw, the throbbing vein on his forehead. Chopper knew it wasn't healthy. Chopper was aware of what might happen. But he also knew that Sanji would never listen to him, nor would Chopper be strong enough to force him to do something concerning his withdrawal.

So instead, Chopper found the person who had the most ability to do both.

He glanced at Sanji's face. Good, he wasn't looking this way. For some reason, the man was making something new on a blender. Seriously, when was he going to eat? Luffy was on his second meal already, and Sanji was still making food. Come to think of it, Sanji rarely ever joined them on the table. He was usually more busy with preparing for Luffy's next meal.

Chopper sneaked into Robin's lap, then signaled Nami for him to whisper something in her ear. Nami leaned in.

"You know, the withdrawal usually peaks after forty-eight hours. He needs more attention than this, Nami."

* * *

Long after everyone else was gone, Nami was still staring at her pancakes.

Sanji wondered if he did something wrong with her food again. Not that she seemed to dislike them. Halfway through breakfast, she somehow lost interest in eating and was more focused on studying it instead. Finally, she took a bite. She slowly savored it, as if she wanted to experience every spice he had added into the meal. Nami closed her eyes and swallowed. Sanji gulped. He hurriedly turned around and tried to look busy.

"Hey, Sanji-kun." He blinked. Sanji stopped washing dishes.

"Yes, Nami-san?"

"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" No, he hadn't. Usually he would finish washing dishes before taking a light brunch. Then he would start working on lunch for the crew. These days, his brunch would consist of something quick and small, like toast, since Nami needed him more than the crew did. And the others could just get their lunch from the town anyway.

"No, Nami-san." He shook his head. He wondered if she was going to ask.

"Would you like to join me?" _Of course! I would love to!_ His heart sang and he floated in his spot. His smile grew into a large grin.

"Of course! Just let me prepare something small." He left the dirty dishes in the sink. Sanji skipped to the stove and grilled himself some bread and cheese. He finished two sandwiches of grilled cheese, then fried some ham with honey and put it on top. He made sure to prepare some extra ham and cheese for Nami.

"Would you like some of this, Nami-san?" Nami nodded and motioned for him to take the seat beside her. He grinned at her. _It's as if we're on a date! But I shouldn't be too presumptuous. Stay calm, man. Damn, where are those cigs when I need them?_

He sat down, ignoring the strong beating of his heart. He couldn't stop his eyes from looking lovestruck, however. He made sure to not let her see them. Nami started eating the pancakes again, this time with a moderate speed that was rare to see whenever Luffy ate with the crew. Sanji took one sandwich and bit into it. He felt himself calm down.

"Say, Sanji-kun. How did you bring out the flavor of the tangerines in these pancakes?"

_This is new._ She had never asked him about cooking before. But who was he to refuse any kind of attention from her? _Then again, why now?_

"Do you have an interest in cooking, Nami-san?"

Nami blinked, as if she didn't expect another question instead of a straight answer from him. She shook her head and smiled. Sanji's heart sang.

"Not really, no. I knew how to cook, but I didn't really bother learning about it. I was more interested in making money at the time. You know." She pointed a finger upwards, as if she was speaking about something specific. Sanji understood it at once.

"Arlong, yeah." His mood darkened a little. He didn't like thinking about the bastard.

"But I was interested in cooking every now and then. The best memories I had of Bellemere was of dinnertime, you know?" Her smile remained, and he forgot about Arlong. He started imagining about Nami in an apron, cooking him something for dinner. _I wish I could taste her cooking someday._

"So how much were you paid at the Baratie?" So even now, it all goes back to money. Sanji internally sighed before wondering if he should tell her. _Aw, hell. What could I lose?_

"I didn't need to get paid, Nami-san. I was the co-owner of the Baratie. Not that the old man ever let me know that, though." He remembered fond memories of being forced to clean in the kitchen and learning recipes on his own and smiled. His debt to the old geezer would probably be never repaid. But it didn't matter now. The old man made sure to let him know of that.

"Why'd you ever leave?" Nami gulped down a whole glass of lemonade. She suddenly got very interested in what he had to say. Sanji sighed once more.

"It got boring. He kicked me out. Told me to fulfill my dream before I got back. And I wanted to be with you, Nami-san." He finished munching on the grilled cheese and looked at her with heart-filled eyes.

"I never wondered why you joined Luffy. What was your dream?" Nami was looking at him with expectant eyes. Sanji suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Well, I joined mostly because you were there. But my dream is to find All Blue." He felt his face turn on a pleased grin.

* * *

Nami had never seen Sanji so happy just thinking about something. She HAD heard about All Blue, but she wasn't really sure when it came to fictional places. Still, they were talking about a sea. As long as it was a part of a map, she would be interested. She wasn't sure whether she could believe in it as much as Sanji apparently did, though.

She saw his blue eyes light up and convey a series of delighted emotions that she could never get close to describing. She wondered why she had never seen him that happy before. Nami was transfixed on his face for that whole moment, and she began to see him in a different light.

"I think it was something about... fish?" She gave a small attempt at a guess. Well, he wouldn't be offended by anything she said, so it was okay.

"It's not just any fish, Nami-san. Imagine all the different types of fish in the world gathered in one sea! It's a cook's paradise." His face became so animated while he spoke that Nami wondered how he imagined the place would look like. She couldn't take her eyes off of his joyful face.

"Imagine-" Then he stopped and suddenly seemed to remember where he was. "I'm sorry. I must be boring you, Nami-san." He scratched theback of his head.

"No! Please continue, Sanji-kun. This is really interesting." She wanted to see his face so fresh and alive again. The last few days have given him so much stress, she couldn't remember him being truly happy until that moment.

"Because of your world map, right?" He was back to normal now. Guarded and polite. Nami internally sighed, but smiled instead. She wondered if she could ever see his face brighten up like that ever again. _He only ever gives me simpering or hopeful looks, I've yet to see him full of confidence and talking about his dreams in that way._

"I've never thought of it that way." She considered the idea. If he DID find this "All Blue" (and he probably will), Nami would be with him exploring the islands that are found there. _Then maybe he could show that face again_. "I guess I was more interested in how happy you got just thinking about it."

Sanji suddenly looked at her with hopeful eyes. Nami held back a scathing addition to her words and felt a drop of sweat trickle down the back of her neck. Sanji took her hands in his. She felt the sudden change in warmth and it amazed her how a simple action like this could seem so intimate. She felt so uncomfortable. She wished he could only notice that. She was flattered, of course, but-

"Oh, Nami-san! Have you finally fallen for me?" There was that. If he could only stop being so hopeless, then-

_Then_, what?

Would she ever consider truly being with this guy?

He was considerate and caring, sure. He apparently cared about her enough to forget chasing after other girls for half a week. He would nurse her back to health all day long if needed. She'd always thought that it was because he had an obligation as her nakama. She thought that it was his own special way of showing affection to females. She'd seen him treat Robin the same way, but apparently Sanji had never given Robin that much attention, and Nami always came first for some reason.

Would she ever try?

No. Not now, when her emotions are so easily swayed by small actions and words. She wouldn't do that to him.

_Besides, the way we are right now I'll feel awkward the rest of the way._

He will have to wait. Nami hoped he will understand.

"I'm sorry, Sanji-kun." She smiled.

_But what if he already did?_

* * *

"So Nami used to cook for us, but she charged too much for one meal. That's why Luffy was so desperate for a cook when we met you. He tried to get the first interesting guy he saw to be our cook. Thank goodness it was you." Sanji nodded. He had already long forgotten what they were talking about. Usopp had that effect on everyone once he started gossiping about stuff.

"Well, yeah. I'd hate to imagine some other bastard cooking breakfast for Nami-san." Usopp sighed and shook his head despairingly.

"You know what I mean, Sanji." Sanji did, but he'd rather worry about Nami. _Speaking of-_

"So why are we hiding behind these plants, again?" Usopp blinked. Apparently he forgot too. A hand appeared behind Sanji, drawing back their nice shady cover. It was Franky.

"Hey, you two. Are you doing something gay?" Sanji twitched.

"Do I look gay to you?" He resisted the urge to kick Franky. _He's just a pervert. He's just a pervert- Aw, hell._

Sanji launched himself at Franky with a high kick.

* * *

It was a good afternoon, and the sun was nearly setting. As per usual, Nami sat with Robin beside the tree, waiting to admire the sunset which may or may nor arrive soon. She crossed her legs and sipped on her lemonade. Beside her, Robin was fixing her hair.

"So how do you deal with these nightmares of yours?"

She had just finished telling the other girl about her latest nighttime escapade. Chopper advised her to find someone to confide in (preferably Chopper himself), and since Nami didn't want to bother Sanji after rejecting him and storming out the way she did, she sought Robin's help. The other girl was only too happy to oblige her request. Nami had no idea how to react to that.

"Well, I don't really deal with them. Sanji does." She wasn't lying. She had yet to find a way to fight her nightmares. The only reason she hadn't started turning into this social recluse was because every time she has woken up so far, Sanji was there to comfort her and remind her she was with people who cared. He was too good at his job that most of her recovery was accountable to him.

"Really, now? Since when did he start sleeping in our room?" Robin didn't notice until now because she was always holing up in the library. Nami knew she had a lot of explaining to do.

"Well, I kinda wake him up every few hours because of a new nightmare. He sleeps on the floor." She considered asking Robin what she thought about Sanji. Nah.

"Has he done anything inappropriate?" Robin's eyes had a glint to them that Nami couldn't understand.

"No! Not really. Except..." She should ask. "I sometimes wish I could have him stay there a bit longer." Nami's eyes tried to convey the unspoken words to her close friend. _Can I call dibs, nee-sama? Would you mind?_

"Why not? You should ask him first, Nami." Robin gave a serene smile. Nami felt herself turn red.

"Ask him what?" Luffy passed by, munching on a senbei (rice cracker). Robin appraised him for a moment, then shrugged.

"Well, Cook-san has been sleeping over at our room for a few nights now."

Robin glanced at Nami and winked. Nami felt herself turn very red.

Soon, everybody else had crowded over at their spot, exclaiming over the unfairness of it all. It appeared that nobody knew their arrangement. They all jsut left Nami alone in the hopes that she will fix herself soon. Once she had shown signs of recovering, though, they all promptly assumed that they were allowed to be their normal loud selves again in their presence. Even Zoro couldn't stop himself from vocally sharing his opinion of the said cook.

Only Robin noticed how uncomfortable Nami was.

As for Nami, she had lost consciousness a long time ago.

* * *

A/N: FINALLY DONE. This chapter was really hard to write for some reason. Anyway, the usual, reviews, blah, blah, reviews, CHIBI NAMI IS SO CUTE!

Have a good day, everyone. :D


	8. Manipulations

A/N: Since Player Zero has requested it, I have no choice but to oblige. ;) Tentsubasa, you are my new love.

This was written all while listening to "I will be here" by Gary V or Steven Curtis Chapman, take your pick. :D

* * *

(DAY 4)

It was morning. Nami stayed on the bed, fearful of when she opens her eyes and finds herself alone. _Like the dream I just had._

She tried out a peek.

The daylight stained her vision and she quickly shut both eyes again, wishing she didn't bother. Before she could completely block out her vision, however, she glimpsed a certain distinct color on the side of her bed. She tightened her closed eyes, wishing she could fall asleep again. _But that means I will start dreaming again- NO!_

She quickly sat up.

Beside her, Sanji looked startled. He had one fist balancing his jaw and he had evidently been staring at her for the past few minutes or so. She surveyed her room for anything that might have been out of place.

_What happened? I remember talking to Robin, then... nothing._

"It's a beautiful day, Nami-san! Would you like to have a good morning kiiiiiiiiiiiissss-" Sanji's face was uncomfortable close. He was leaning in even further, and Nami swiftly grabbed the first thing her hand could reach. She shoved it in his mouth.

It was a baby Den Den Mushi.

Sanji choked and sputtered, his gasps deafened by the sound of his body falling off the bed. He was now rubbing his aching butt, accompanying it with small mutters of pain.

"What happened last night, Sanji-kun? I don't remember anything."

Her companion shoved a hand into his front pocket. He rummaged around it for a moment, as if he couldn't find something. Then Sanji stopped and blinked. He scratched the back of his head grumpily.

"Oh, the usual. Idiots running around and blaming me for something I wasn't there for. They even forgot they had a shitty doctor shouting beside them. Fucking hopeless. Couldn't rely on them to take care of one lady for a single minute-"

He halted in his monologue, suddenly realizing how rude he sounded. He coughed a bit and apologized. Then he forced a smile.

"I didn't mean to say that, Nami-san. You looked so lovely even when you were asleep, I didn't dare to let them touch you. Of course, I won't let anybody manhandle my Nami-swaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

Cue hearts. Nami started to remember bits of their conversation, and why she fainted again. She should ask Chopper about that. But for now-

Nami wondered how long it would take before he snapped under all the pressure.

She should really do something about him. Her last effort, however, ended up in failure. If that happened again, she might actually stay away longer afterwards, and something worse might happen. She was the only one who could help him, after all. Robin DID promise to stay away yesterday.

But how?

Nami smiled at him and hit his head lightly.

"Why'd you stop smoking all of a sudden?"

* * *

Sanji frowned as he looked into her deep brown eyes. Why ask this now, Nami-san?

Should I tell her the truth?

But something like this wasn't for her to decide. If she ever felt guilty about it, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from going back to chain smoking. He was doing such good progress as it is. Any small thing that may help her recover is already a good enough reason for him to try.

But she asked him so earnestly.

"Well, Chopper said it might affect your brain, Nami-san." He liked saying her name. He liked the way he could easily bring it in any sentence. That's why he always made sure to say it when he could.

"What." Her tone wasn't angry. It wasn't a question, either. Her face was neutral, only uplifted a bit by her calm smile. He suddenly feared his manhood.

"Chopper said-"

"Yes, I know what he said. Why'd you follow it?" A dark aura was no emanating from her person, and Sanji forced himself to shut up before his mouth could squeak out any more signs of betrayal.

"That was bullshit, Sanji-kun." Her usually sweet tone was now mildly incorporating a hint of anger. He gulped and searched for a reason to run away before the great beast would rear its ugly (No! Nami-swan would never be ugly!) _beautiful_ head and tear his balls from where they were dangling.

"You know he'd jump at the chance to make you stop for good." Nami wasn't doing anything. Her expression remained the same, only her tone grew angrier with every word. "Never trust his fibs again."

She poked his chest with a determined finger. He forced his throat to stay where it is. His heart was beating in his ears. Sanji reluctantly nodded. Her voice suddenly took on a pleading tone.

"Sanji-kun, I think you're really manly when you smoke, you know?"

He couldn't resist her. Sanji's eyes popped into hearts and he thanked the heavens that such an angel has deemed him worthy to be considered as a man. He jumped up and sang her praises, then bowed deeply before leaving to make breakfast. This was all done in less than a minute.

When he closed the door, Sanji had missed the mischievous glint in Nami's eye.

* * *

Chopper, Luffy and Usopp had gathered in a corner of the ship. Behind them, Zoro was obliviously counting his 2565th 100ton weight lift. Usopp glanced suspiciously at their crew member before huddling in closer to the other two.

"So what did you call us here for?" Chopper was impatient. He had two more medicines to try researching in the town, and he had to restock on first aid since the last fight the crew had completely drained his backup supply. They had zero bandages and only two pieces of tape. He has also run out on antiseptic and painkillers. If they ran into somebody dangerous now, Chopper would have to resort to using their dirty laundry as bandages, and using Sanji's baking soda and dishwashing soap as sterilizers. He'd rather not cross the irate cook today.

"You know. Nami."

"NAMI? I THOUGHT THIS WAS ABOUT FOOD?!" Both males covered their captain's mouth and shhh-ed him immediately. They looked around to see if said navigator heard her name being called. Nope, nobody on board. The two simultaneously let out a huge breath of relief before scolding Luffy about his behavior.

"You can't just shout like that!"

"Luffy, you should learn to value the meaning of discretion." Chopper nodded at Usopp. Let's hope this gets through his thick skull.

Luffy blinked and nodded too. "Discretion, huh? Sounds like a soup. SANJI! I WANT S-"

Both Chopper and Usopp took out huge pieces of meat from nowhere and stuffed it in his mouth. Usopp coughed.

"Okay. As I was saying, Nami's needs some help. I believe it is time for us to make sure the Sunny will have a good navigator. Of course, I can do it, but I have something more important to do. Did you know that I was sent a secret mission by the Pirate King?"

"Oh wow! Really?" Chopper's eyes flashed into stars. Usopp grinned.

"Yes, that's why Nami has to get better soon. I have navigated us past the Calm Belt thousands of times, but my time is too important for us to manage that now."

"The Calm Belt?!" Chopper didn't know that their crewmates were so awesome. He had always heard that the Calm Belt was a really dangerous place, but maybe with Usopp around he shouldn't be scared of anything after all.

Usopp gave an all-knowing nod. And then he coughed again. "But back to the topic. Haven't you noticed Nami seems less scary than usual?"

"I'm actually worried about who will lead us through these islands if she's so distracted with the stupid cook all the time."

Both Chopper and Usopp blinked and turned around. Behind them was Zoro, wiping the back of his neck with a towel. The man had apparently overheard something in the conversation and wanted to share his opinion. Considering the current state of affairs for their small group, they need all the help they can get.

"Why is that?" Luffy swallowed the last bite of meat and threw away the bone. He scratched the back of his head. "Nami's actually a lot better now compared to when she started."

"I'm scared for our ship. She's bound to get something wrong sooner of later, if she keeps staying in her room all the time." Zoro internally agreed with Usopp. As much as he hated to admit it, the sharpshooter was right. They had to do something about it.

Then somebody kicked the back of Usopp's head.

The three looked up and saw Sanji. He was carrying a plate of what appeared to be the lunch meal. He crouched down beside Usopp and glared at him. The sharpshooter let out a small "eep"

"Idiot! We have Robin-chan for that." He looked back at the girl who emerged from the ship's interior. "Right, Robin-chan?"

The four gossiping men blinked at her as if to say, "Really now?" They waited for her reaction/ Luffy, however, tried to grab the plate Sanji was carrying. After a practiced dodge and a kick to the face, he joined the others at their staring game.

Robin smiled serenely. "Since I promised Navigator-san, it means I might have to resort to broken legs if something goes wrong." Her smile got bigger, and the rest of them perceived this feeling of inexplicable doom on the back of their necks.

Sanji, on the other hand, dropped into a puddle and started emitting small hearts from his head. "Robin-chan is so wonderful! I would do it, if only they would listen to me."

Luffy didn't understand the flow of the conversation. "What's going on?" Did they have some sort of problem?

Sanji frowned at his captain. "It's your fault, you know." If only you could do the job that actual captains are supposed to do. Instead Nami-san ends up ordering everybody around for you.

"What?! Why?" Luffy twitched and his voice turned on an annoyed tone.

Everyone else agreed with Sanji, and they all voiced their agreement. Even Zoro, who usually denied acknowledging Sanji's opinions, had no choice but to say that he was right. Their captain was useless in the ship. He was their leader, and he did most of the final decisions for anything, but he could never lead the ship in a storm. Most of that was Nami's job.

Meanwhile, Sanji was already getting frustrated with the amount of work getting done by the crew. Shouldn't they be doing something else other than gossiping?

He beat them all up (minus Zoro and Robin). When he was finished, he was facing a series of different faces ranging from black eyes to big bumps on the head. He then ordered them to finish their jobs. The three apologized, and then they ran off to do their tasks.

Robin smiled. "Maybe I'm not needed that much, then."

Zoro, who was left standing beside her, crossed his arms. He watched the three scuttle off to their activities without any complaints. He nodded. "When Nami needed shit to be done, he's usually the one to do them. Makes sense that he makes sure they're done when she's not around."

* * *

Nami went out into the deck and saw the usual scene: Usopp fishing, Luffy eating, Zoro training, Brook playing his violin and Robin reading. Sanji was nowhere to be seen, but judging from the wonderful smell of cooked meat from the kitchen, he was probably cooking more for Luffy.

"Where's everybody else?" She noticed Chopper and Franky were missing. She hadn't really gone out much, so she wasn't informed of any activities they had. What's worse, they might have even used up her money for their own nefarious purposes! She entrusted Sanji and Robin with her money, but she wasn't so sure she should have done that now.

"Oh, Chopper went out to look at some medical library. Franky went with him to see their architectural section." Thank goodness Brook was paying attention. Then again... "Oh, Nami-san! We haven't seen you for a while. May I see your panties?"

He was promptly silenced with a hit to the head by Sanji, who just went out of the kitchen with another enormous serving of meat for Luffy. He threw it to Luffy's mouth, where the other boy gobbled it down with surprisingly careful speed. He was probably scolded again for eating too quickly.

Nami looked around once again and felt the world close down on her. The proximity of the Straw hats wasn't bothering her now, but being the focus of their attention is somewhat disturbing. Nami saw Sanji walk back to the kitchen/dining room and followed him.

In the kitchen, he was decorating the food. She saw his hands put three types of sauces in different shapes around the plates, and even noticed the time he took to detailing the heart in two special plates. Those were probably hers and Robin's. He went back to the kitchen and pulled out a small bowl of garnishes. He also took out something that looked like cream and put it in paper, and then put something metal on the end. He went back to the dishes and pressed the garnishes and cream on the top of the meat. It looked like the flowers on top of icing, and with the garnishes around it the meat looked like a forest flower with grass under it. She was transfixed at his attention to the job, and the care in which he put into every single dish.

"May I try?" He looked up at her. He probably didn't notice her enter, since he was too busy with his work. The smells were so divine and every detail in the unfinished plate was already calling out to Nami's senses. I wonder how he's able to withstand standing here with all this food and still not eat it. If it was Luffy, he would definitely skip the cooking process and just eat it altogether.

"Sure, Nami-san." He seemed hesitant to let her handle the work that he did so expertly. She could understand, of course. She would never let any of her crewmates near any of the maps she had worked so hard to finish. Even so, with the detail that he put into every plate, she could probably let him try out on a map. Just for a bit, though.

Sanji handed her the rolled paper with a metal tip. She hesitantly sprinkled some garnish on a plate, then tried to press the paper. It was harder and firmer than she thought. She gave Sanji a small look that said, 'please help'. He chuckled. Sanji took the paper from her and pointed to the metal end.

"This is called a flower tip, Nami-san." He squeezed it a bit and some cream slowly went out. "It makes sure that the cream stays a certain shape. You hold it like this-" And here he took her hands and put the paper in them. He placed her fingers in certain places. "Now you squeeze as hard as you can, very slowly. Make sure your hands stay in a ninety degree angle."

Nami tried his instructions. Halfway through squeezing her fingers slipped, and she ended up with a half-twisted overly large flower instead of the smooth creations he finished. She sighed. Sanji, on the other hand, clapped. "That was very good for your first try, Nami-san!"

She handed him back the rolled paper. As he was taking it from her, she noticed the log pose in her wrist.

"Oh, yeah! We arrived in the wrong island. We should leave before the log pose sets."

She showed him the pose.

* * *

Sanji peered in at the object on her wrist. He didn't know how to operate it, much less how to manage the device. The needle was pointing somewhere, and that's all that he knew. But the setting point-

And her delicate long fingers, callused in certain spots. I wish I could touch your soft hands and massage them-

He coughed and nodded. "Uh, I don't know what you mean, Nami-san."

"I landed us in the wrong island, Sanji-kun."

What? He looked at the Log Pose again. It wasn't moving much, it was only pointed at one direction. He tried to remember what he needed to know about Log Poses. But that's impossible. Nami-san wouldn't ever make this kind of rookie mistake, she's too good a navigator for that.

"It was the bug. I was being controlled."

Him again. Sanji knew he should have killed the bastard when he had the chance.

"It's okay, Nami-san. Let's just tell everybody the Pose has set and we're all ready to leave now." He tried his best attempt at smiling without any malice. He couldn't stop it from showing in his tone, however.

Nami seemed disappointed in something, but she nodded and left. From outside, he could hear her shouting to everyone that they can leave now. He looked at the parchment paper in his hand and looked at the plate decorated by Nami.

He decided to eat that one for lunch.

* * *

Everyone was separately going back to their meeting place in the town square. They had all decided to go shopping for the next trip. Thankfully for Sanji, there were no incidents with Nami this time. Not that he would ever refuse the offer to play knight-in-shining-armor once again, but he'd rather Nami would go back to her normal self soon.

He saw the others arrive and waved to them. Zoro stopped in his tracks. He gestured to a female in the word shop at the corner of the square. Sanji studied her figure and recognized her at once.

It was that Marine girl. The one usually seen with Smoker. Shit.

He silently informed Chopper, Usopp and Nami. They told the whole group. Then it was quickly decided that they will scatter and regroup at the ship.

But it was too late.

As soon as they started to go out one by one, somebody shouted, "You're surrounded, Mugiwara pirates!"

Sanji grabbed Nami's hand and pulled her into a dark side alley. He knew the others will be okay. They both ran as quick as they could, without making too much noise. The three Marine officers behind them soon caught up. In no time the two of them were stuck and cornered in a very narrow alley.

"Black Leg Sanji and Cat Burglar Nami. You are caught now."

Sanji cursed. He pulled Nami closer to him, and carried her in his arms. He tested his footing. One of the Marine officers got cocky and gave a little speech about them not being able to stand up to justice and whatnot.

Sanji grinned at the guy cheekily. Before he could stop his sentence, Sanji was already jumping from one wall to the other, up the roof and out of sight.

In his arms, Nami was laughing freely with the wind in her hair.

* * *

A/N: It always bothered us that whenever someone starts a speech in the middle of a battle, nobody interrupts or attacks them. It's like there's some unspoken rule that says, if your enemy's talking or bragging or whatever, just stand by until they're done. Is it Pirate honor? Or are they just actually talking quickly or something? Either way, a lot of the One Piece battle episodes are full of speeches. And flashbacks. Lots of those.

Will update once I watch the new episode. BODY SWITCH! Hell yeah. xD

Is it just me or are the chapters getting longer? ;3

Thanks for reading!


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